MSU students see the 'possibilities in science' at NASA

Steve Caudle was able to work with scientists at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with experts at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston?

Several students and faculty members in the Missouri State University College of Natural and Applied Sciences had a chance to find out.

The NASA Johnson Space Center has a number of projects that overlap with the university's interests, according to David Cornelison, physics, astronomy and materials science department head.

"In this case, we are helping develop very specific permeable membranes which will have applications in sensor work related to NASA goals," he said.

According to Cornelison, the research will hopefully lead to improvements in equipment used in the space program, from the monitoring of astronaut health to the integrity of materials used in space-vehicle construction.

At the space center, students learn what working in a government lab is like. They are exposed to an environment where ability in the lab and good communication skills are vital to success.

They also get extensive training using various Scanning Electron Microscopy instruments as well as the Raman microscope, a laser-based microscope device.

"We're responsible for helping to design methods and experiments to achieve certain goals that NASA desired in the project," said Steven Caudle, a chemistry student who did research at the Space Center this summer.

"Getting the opportunity to get the inside tour of the Johnson Space Center was a very cool part of this opportunity," Caudle said. "But my favorite aspect of the experience was getting to take apart and rebuild a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer."

Faculty members developed ties that will help in further collaboration. Later this year, a NASA scientist will visit the MSU campus.

"We don't exist in a vacuum," Cornelison said. "The work done here does have an impact in the world outside of academia. It is important that our students see the possibilities in science."